- A Ukrainian artillery commander said that brigades compete to see who can kill the most Russians.
- Russians advancing to the north of Avdiivka must travel through areas vulnerable to Ukraine's artillery.
A Ukrainian artillery commander said that brigades compete to see who can kill the most Russian soldiers as they attempt to cross a heavy artillery zone in Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine.
Fighting has been raging around the small city in the Donetsk region as Russian forces repeatedly attempt to capture it despite suffering heavy losses in both personnel and equipment.
"I'll even reveal a secret," Ukrainian artillery commander Arty Green told Ukrainian media in an interview published on Monday, per a Forbes translation. "There's a competition between our brigades. We strike one target, then we see a neighboring brigade doing the same, then another one."
As Russian forces try to reach the north of the city, where they plan to carry out more assaults, they are forced to cross through miles of roads and fields that are exposed to Ukraine's artillery, Forbes reported.
"Each column that advances along this direction is within firing range from several of our brigades," Green said. "They are within striking distance of mortars and brigade-level tactical artillery."
Russia is throwing waves of men like in a 'zombie movie'
Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday that Russia appeared to be committing fewer troops to Avdiivka, per a Reuters report.
However, conflicting reports cite other Ukrainian officials saying that Russia was increasing the number of assault operations near the city.
Oleksandr, a deputy of a Ukrainian battalion in the 47th mechanized brigade, told AFP that Russia was sending "waves" of men to battle for the city to try and exhaust Ukrainian lines and compared it to a "zombie movie."
While fighting continues in the area, neither side has made significant gains in six weeks.I
n October, the UK Ministry of Defense said Russian losses in the Avdiivka offensive were likely among the worst of the year.